The Jaded Sky
by AlarisianSun
Summary: The Adventures of a young wizard charged with the fulfillment of a prophecy she cannot understand, much less complete. R&R. OC. Fairly long chapters... sorry!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer:  
Basic deal. these are my own characters, but everything in the story is based off of the information contained in v. 3.5 of the Core Rule Books (Player's Guide, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's Guide) all published by Wizards of the Coast, etc. I also use the Epic Level Handbook.  
  
PROLOGUE:  
  
The bent iron gate swung on a single rusty hinge, the once silver metal twisted and discolored by an unusual magic that she could not recognize. Beyond the gate, the once beautiful alder trees that had majestically shadowed the long climb to the tower beyond were gone. Cinder and ash lay in motionless heaps alongside the winding path, moving slightly when the mournful wind lifted up the remnants of the beautiful trees and scattered them along the once pleasant grounds.  
Nothing stirred on the grounds of the Tower of Arcane Magic in the land of Erasdaen. Nothing was left to stir.  
Adrianna Miskëalo blinked back the tears that threatened to come, pushing her Elven heritage behind her calm control, back into the shadows of her subconscious. She was a half elf, born to parents she didn't know or remember. All of her memories were of the Tower, the wizards who studied there, and those who visited them. Being an elf had no meaning to her, it was just another foreign influence trying to manipulate her, trying to deceive her.  
She knew that he had to be safe; she could feel it: the Master of the Tower was still alive, the power of the magic still surged through his veins and his mind. He had been a father when she needed discipline and guidance, a friend when she needed companionship and a safe harbor when terror gripped her soul. He was everything to her. She was not complete without him.  
She began climbing up the steep track, ignoring the devastation that was on either side of the path that she had trodden so many times. The only sound that existed in the new reality was that of the wind, calling for a long lost love, never hearing an answer. The wind blew her thick black hair away from her back, pushing the loose curls over her shoulders, to the left.  
She pushed her way through the storm of ash and cinder, heading towards the Tower with a determination not found among many. She had to find the Master. She had to make sure that he was still alive, regardless of what her senses told her. When she reached the top of the hill that stood before the Tower, she gasped.  
The grounds around the tower were a nightmare. Craters marred what once was a beautiful meadow. The small lake that she had sat by so many times in her youth had been replaced by boiling acid. The corpses of the wizard students she had grown to know and love littered the grounds, a testament to the vile destruction that had occurred, their blood staining the now barren ground.  
Adrianna knew that she could not waste time on frivolous emotions; she had one duty above all else: get to the Master and ensure that he was safe, and then ring the Bell of Alarm. The Bell was created along with the Tower and the society of wizards who maintained it. The society had a purpose beyond learning and mastering magic, although none but the master knew what it was. It was to protect this purpose that the tower's location was kept secret.  
The Tower of Arcane Magic was surrounded by a deep forest, filled with enchanted beasts and magical traps to prevent those who did not know of the tower from finding it. Should an invader come, the instructions were to defend the tower at all costs, and if need be, ring the Bell of Alarm. The Bell of Alarm had never been rung; no one knew what would happen when it was struck.  
Adrianna raced down the hill, fearing that a dark sorcerer of some kind would appear and throw out a magnificent fireball her way, trying to cover as much ground as quickly as possible. Although she had lived among wizards for her entire life, she didn't have the ability nor the knowledge to comprehend the magical combinations needed to truly unleash potent spells.  
When she looked up at the tower that loomed above her, the obsidian reflecting the bright rays of the sun, she knew that she was too late to make any difference. The once beautiful doors, sporting carvings of the nobility of the races, were shattered, the shards blown inwards, into the grand entryway. The once beautiful tapestries were shredded rags. Something horrible had happened.  
Adrianna felt the familiar warmth of the magic return to the brass scarab amulet she always wore. The amulet was once again drawing its energy from the tower. Although the building itself had been defiled, the ancient magic that surged through the walls was as strong as it had always been.  
Adrianna flew into action, ripping the scarab off of its chain. She raced across the octagonal chamber to the far wall, where a series of magical runes were carved into the marble. The runes glowed with a strange light, each with the intensity of the sun. She let the scarab drop from her hand, and land on a rune she had learned to recognize, but not understand.  
The instant the scarab became enveloped in the light, a similar light crept up Adrianna's arms, illuminating her through the grim smoke that steamed in from outside. The euphoria of the magic surged through her, lifting her into the heavens, to a different plane. The world grew to a bright white, blinding, comforting.  
All too soon, the real world faded back into existence as the magic left her standing in the Study of the Master, the room forbidden to all except the Master of the Tower and her. Adrenaline and fear pumped through her veins as she quickly scanned the room, hoping to find her mentor in better health than when she had left that morning.  
What she saw stopped her heart.  
Master Ublenick lay upon the cold stone floor, his body scarred beyond recognition by some magical flame. The old, decrepit man tried to move when he felt her come in, but he couldn't bring himself to make any motion.  
He breathed out hoarsely through the pain of the burns, calling her.  
"Adrianna, you are the only one who I can trust." 


	2. Chapter 1

Same Disclaimer as the Prologue: Based on v 3.5 Dungeons and Dragons Books, Original Characters, original plot, but powers/abilities/spells/skills/weapons/baddies/etc. taken from the books.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
As the first ray of dawn peeked over the distant mountain tops, the cover of the spell book slammed shut, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. The world was alive around Adrianna: birds sang, deer sprang about, and even the fish seemed a little more active. Patches of vibrant undergrowth glowed in the waterfalls of molten gold that managed to drift through the canopy, the golden rays of sunlight adding a new mystery to the docile forest.  
All was at peace, except for the young wizard.  
Four years had passed since her life had changed from a course of eternal servitude to one of power and mastery. Four years had passed since her mentor, The Master, had died and passed a horrible, but necessary, responsibility to her.  
As he lay dieing in the Tower, the Master had passed on vital knowledge to her. Knowing he didn't have much time, he used a draining, dangerous, and desperate form of reverse mind reading to imprint his knowledge onto her mind. He didn't have enough time to pass on the organization of his thoughts, however, leaving Adrianna with all of the knowledge, but without a clue as to which fact went under which section.  
Her thoughts were a chaotic hurricane of ageless knowledge, swirling around the calm section that she has managed to decipher and classify. It wasn't an easy task; the Herculean job nearly buckled her morale and will to continue, but Adrianna knew that if she didn't conquer the knowledge, she would surely go mad.  
She had, however, gained enough foresight from the imparted knowledge to laden herself with rare provisions that she wouldn't have been able to obtain easily. The knapsack she had found was magical; it sported extra- dimensional storage capabilities as well as a spell that lightened the load significantly. Adrianna had loaded the old leather pack with every spell book she could lay her hands on, as well as spell components, money, rare magic items, and the Codex of the Fallen, the responsibility she had gained.  
According to the Master's knowledge, the Codex of the Fallen was millennia old. It had come from the mind of a Prismatic Dragon who had been a paragon of his species, for he was gifted with the ability to see the future. The Codex held the major choices that the world would face, as well as the identity of the few who would decide the course of existence. The Codex held all that once was, all that would be, and all that could possibly be.  
It was this responsibility that Adrianna didn't want. It was this responsibility that had been forced upon her by the Society of the Fallen, the society of wizards who created and manned the Tower of Arcane Magic. The Society of the Fallen had been founded by the great dragon to protect, and fulfill, the prophecy to ensure that life and magic would not perish upon the world.  
Adrianna could sense that she was not even close to comprehending the full meaning of the Codex, although she was making daily progress against the disorder in her mind. Her daily meditation helper her gain ground; the complete relaxation allowed her to put drifting fragments of thought together to form a coherent piece of knowledge. She had another form of meditation, as well, one that was not hers, but was necessary for her survival.  
She studied the simplest of her spell books every morning, reviewing the science that was magic. Wizards focused their power through knowledge; in the case of magic, it was the knowledge of the arcane forces of the world and how they could be manipulated. Magic for the wizard was an exact science: certain motions, words, and compounds needed to be performed in order to cast a spell. Because of the nature of these requirements, wizards recorded the spells they learned in their spell books.  
Adrianna had taken all of the Master's spell books; her new realization of magic and its forces that the master had given her allowed her to be able to discern the different spell books form one another with a mere touch.  
She had also discovered that she had a gift for understanding and implementing evocation spells, spells that involved the summoning or creation of energy far better than any other form of magic. This power had a down side, however; she could not comprehend nor cast necromancy and abjuration spells.  
Adrianna's mind snapped out of the deep trance of thoughts when her hand brushed the shining, dragon scale cover of the Codex. The mere touch of the book and the knowledge it contained sent terror lancing into her heart. Adrianna retracted her hand much like the sky calls back lightning, and closed her sack. He delicate hand reached for her water skin, which was resting against a large oak, but it never reached its goal.  
At that instant, the water skin was burst by a small, black, crudely made arrow. 


End file.
